# Update an external metadata object

Launch stage: Public Preview

`PATCH /api/2.0/lineage-tracking/external-metadata/{name}`

Updates the external metadata object that matches the supplied name. The caller can only update either the owner or other metadata fields in one request.
 The caller must be a metastore admin, the owner of the external metadata object, or a user that has the **MODIFY** privilege.
 If the caller is updating the owner, they must also have the **MANAGE** privilege.

API scopes: unity-catalog

## Path parameters

- `name` (string, required)
  Name of the external metadata object.
  Example: `security_events_stream`

## Query parameters

- `update_mask` (string, required)

## Request body

- `system_type` (string, required)
  Type of external system.
  Possible values:
  - `SYSTEM_TYPE_UNSPECIFIED`
  - `OTHER`
  - `TABLEAU`
  - `POWER_BI`
  - `LOOKER`
  - `KAFKA`
  - `SAP`
  - `ORACLE`
  - `SALESFORCE`
  - `WORKDAY`
  - `MYSQL`
  - `POSTGRESQL`
  - `MICROSOFT_SQL_SERVER`
  - `SERVICENOW`
  - `AMAZON_REDSHIFT`
  - `AZURE_SYNAPSE`
  - `SNOWFLAKE`
  - `GOOGLE_BIGQUERY`
  - `MICROSOFT_FABRIC`
  - `MONGODB`
  - `TERADATA`
  - `CONFLUENT`
  - `DATABRICKS`
  - `STREAM_NATIVE`
- `entity_type` (string, required)
  Type of entity within the external system.
  Example: `Topic`
- `url` (string, optional)
  URL associated with the external metadata object.
  Example: `https://kafka.com/12345`
- `description` (string, optional)
  User-provided free-form text description.
  Example: `A stream of security related events in the critical services.`
- `columns` (array of string, optional)
  List of columns associated with the external metadata object.
- `properties` (object, optional)
  A map of key-value properties attached to the external metadata object.
- `owner` (string, optional)
  Owner of the external metadata object.
  Example: `data-team@company.com`

## Returns

Returns the ExternalMetadata object.

## Request

```json
{
  "columns": [
    "type",
    "message",
    "details",
    "date",
    "time",
    "severity"
  ],
  "description": "Updated stream of security related events in the critical services.",
  "entity_type": "Topic",
  "properties": {
    "compression.enabled": "true",
    "compression.format": "lz4",
    "topic": "prod.security.events.raw"
  },
  "system_type": "KAFKA",
  "url": "https://kafka.com/12345-updated"
}
```

## Response

```json
{
  "columns": [
    "type",
    "message",
    "details",
    "date",
    "time",
    "severity"
  ],
  "create_time": 1715802661000,
  "created_by": "john.doe@company.com",
  "description": "Updated stream of security related events in the critical services.",
  "entity_type": "Topic",
  "id": "12345678-abcd-4ef5-9012-3456789abcdf",
  "metastore_id": "12345678-abcd-4ef5-9012-3456789abcde",
  "name": "security_events_stream",
  "owner": "data-team@company.com",
  "properties": {
    "compression.enabled": "true",
    "compression.format": "lz4",
    "topic": "prod.security.events.raw"
  },
  "system_type": "KAFKA",
  "update_time": 1717394661000,
  "updated_by": "jane.smith@company.com",
  "url": "https://kafka.com/12345-updated"
}
```